Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention

In this episode we sat down with Ezequiel Heffes, Senior Policy and Legal Advisor at Geneva Call, an international humanitarian organization that works on creating lasting behavior change among armed non-state actors to protect populations more effectively. During the episode, Ezequiel shares his views on developments in civilian protection, including Geneva Call's unique methodology that increase...

In this episode we sat down with Dr. Karen Smith, former Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). The episode explores how Dr. Smith has worked as both an academic and practitioner on atrocity prevention, as well as the difficulties of transitioning from an independent role to working with member states and the UN system. During the episode, Dr. Smith sha...

In this episode we sat down with Charles Petrie, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and author of the infamous "Petrie Report" on the UN's failings in Sri Lanka. The episode gives detailed insight into Charles' appointments with the UN around the world, including in Somalia, Rwanda, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as why he left the UN after decades of service. Petrie ...

Earlier this year the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect launched a new podcast, Expert Voices on Atrocity Prevention, featuring one-on-one conversations with practitioners to provide a glimpse of the personal and professional side of how they approach human rights protection and atrocity prevention. In this special episode, we sat down with our outgoing Executive Director, Dr. Simon...

In this episode, we sat down with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director for Human Rights Watch (HRW). During the episode, Omar discusses government attempts to derail HRW's work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including his deportation from the country in 2019, and HRW's recent reporting that the Israeli government's policies and practices amount to the crime of apartheid. W...

In this episode, marking World Day for International Justice, we sat down with Ambassador Stephen Rapp. During the episode Ambassador Rapp discusses his own experience with international justice at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as during his term as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes. The episode focuses on the e...

In this episode we explore the ongoing atrocities in Yemen with Radhya Almutawakel, co-founder and chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, a Yemeni civil society organization that has recently been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  The episode begins with a discussion of the ongoing crisis in Yemen with Global Centre Research Analyst, Jahaan Pittalwala. We then explore the docume...

On 1 February Myanmar’s military, headed by Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew the civilian-led government. The coup was launched in response to the decisive victory of the National League for Democracy in the November 2020 elections, where military-backed candidates were comprehensively defeated. The situation in the country remains extremely volatile, with troops deployed in all major...

Inspired by her own experiences with prejudice, Ms. Rita Izsák-Ndiaye turned discrimination based on her Roma ethnicity into a career and passion for human rights. Ms. Izsák-Ndiaye details her work as Rapporteur for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and how it contributes to the protection of vulnerable minorities around the world. By sharing best prac...